OCTOBER 13, 1921
LONDON TERMINAL AERODROME SSEI
Monday Evening, October 10, 1921.
PASSENGER traffic figures have been slightly better this week,
but machines are still going out and coming in at times with
only two or three passengers. Messageries Aeriennes, after
having had only between 20 and 30 passengers a week for
some time past, rose to 46 this last week, while Mr. Bouderie,
of Grands Express, tells me that on his line also there is an
improvement. Handley Page Transport have hardly felt
the slump. They have been turning away passengers through-
out the summer, and are, with few exceptions, still getting
good loads.
A large indicator-map of the three continental air routes
to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, has been erected near
*he Customs House on the public side of the barrier. Small
models of the various " air expresses," with their correct
registration marks, are moved along the different routes to
show the progress of aeroplanes while in flight to and from
the continent. There are still so many machines running, in
spite of the fact that winter services are in operation, that
it occupies the entire time of one man to keep the board up-
to-date. The progress of the machines is checked by messages
received from land stations, and also by wireless signals from
machines fitted with the necessary installations. The map
does not pretend to be geographically correct, and remarks
as to its shortcomings in this respect have been numerous.
This does not, however, detract in any way from the map's
chief purpose, which is to indicate the movements of machines.
Mr. Shaw terminates his connection with Messrs. Basil S.
Foster, Ltd., today, and is now to represent Shell-Mex
interests on the aerodrome.
Aerodrome Lights Seen 32 Miles Away
ON Tuesday last Mr. Shaw flew one of the Aero Club's
Avros to Stow-in-the-Wold with a passenger. On his return
journey, which was made towards dusk, he picked up the
aerodrome lighthouse while he was at about 2,500 feet above
Wokingham, a distance of 32 miles from the aerodrome.
He tells me that the lights of Surbiton and Kingston were a
wonderful sight from the air, but that London was veiled
by an evening mist which only the stronger arc-lights could
penetrate.
I now understand that when Mr. Frank Searle opens his
new air line in the spring he will have a fleet of new D.H. 32's,
with 360 h.p. Rolls-Royce engines. Mr. Woods-Humphreys,
who was with Handley Page Transport through the pioneer
days of commercial aviation, is to be aerodrome manager of
this new air-line.
The Instone Air Line are giving the D.H. 18, G-Earo, a
thorough overhaul, and in the meantime the " Vimy " and
the D.H. 18, G-Eawo, are carrying on the service. Mr. Barn-
ard has been at the aerodrome on several occasions lately,
but has not yet recovered completely from his motor-cycle
accident.
The airship mast is now completely dismantled, and,
beyond one or two piles of timber and ironwork, has prac-
tically vanished from the aerodrome.
With reference to the balloon " sniping " competition
held here on September 24, between Colonel Risk and Colonel
Spenser Grey, I understand my statement that the competitors
had a £25 wager on the result has brought a protest from
Colonel Risk, who declares that this was not the case. My
information on this matter came from such a source that I
never for a moment doubted its accuracy ; but, at the same
time, I regret it should have caused annoyance -to Colonel
Risk, and tender my apologies herewith.
Handley Page Developments in Paris
MR. HANDLEY PAGE and Mr. Cogni travelled to Paris on
today's " H.P.", while Mr. Flowers has just returned from
that city. It is evident that developments are to take place
in the organisation of Handley Page Transport in Paris.
Already they have instituted an improved passenger car
service from Paris to the aerodrome at Le Bourget. Passenger
cars have, in the past, called round at the various agencies
picking up travellers on their way. Now, however, all
travellers by Handley Page are picked up at the Hotel
Crillon, on the Place de la Concorde, following which they
drive direct to the aerodrome. .
In place of the offending " C.A.T.S. " on the front of their
jerseys, the traffic hands have now the letters L l_ A.
(London Terminal Aerodrome), embroidered in red above
their distinguishing number. ,
The other day a new use was found for the speed of the
" air express." A Professor of the London University
travelled in one of the K.L.M. monoplanes in order to deliver
a lecture in Groningen that same evening.
Goods of German Origin
CAPTAIN LEVERTON is still having a great deal of trouble
with goods, emanating from German sources, which come by
air from Amsterdam, and are liable for the reparation duty.
The senders of these parcels almost invariably omit the
necessary papers, and, in consequence, goods are held up in
Customs solely because of such omissions.
The Anglo-American Oil Company are installing a second
petrol pump on their bulk storage tank, and I understand
that this is to be worked by compressed air to save the
expenditure of " boy-power " which the length of the
delivery-hose necessitates.
One of the Goliaths of the Grands Express was forced to
descend with propeller trouble at St. Ingle vert whilst en
route from Paris to Croydon on Saturday. The trouble
developed just after leaving the French coast to cross the
Channel, but, as the machine was at the time at a height
of 4,500 feet, the pilot had no difficulty in turning and landing
at St. Inglevert. Another aeroplane was dispatched from
Paris to pick up the six passengers, and this machine arrived
at Croydon after dusk, making quite a good landing with the
aid of the aerodrome lights.
A fine week-end still brings crowds to the aerodrome, and
Captain Muir was busy taking up joy-riders on Saturday
and Sunday. He is, by the way, now the aerodrome is
illuminated, prepared to ascend with joy-riders in the evening
for a trip over London to view the wonderful spectacle that
the post-War lighting of the metropolis now presents from
the air.
Mr. Duke wishes me to say that he is not the inventor of
the method of making three-ply for aeroplane models from
Japanese veneer. The credit lies with Mr. D. Campbell
of the Handley Page wind-tunnel staff.
A Plethora of Airway Uniforms -,
WE have quite a dazzling display of specially garbed
officials just now. The latest arrival is a fireman, and his
raiment consists of one of those round caps and a blue uniform,
which seem peculiar to that craft. There are as a matter of
fact, no fewer than six distinctive uniforms now to be seen
here daily ; and the police pensioners, who prevent people-
running away with Napier " Lion " engines as souvenirs of a
visit to Croydon, have perhaps the neatest of all. Then there
are the two foremen of the C.A.T.S., with a distinctive uniform
derived evidently from the Post Office, while one must not
forget the yachtsman's rig of the C.A.T.S. themselves. The
Customs watcher also has a nautical flavour about him, and—
last, but far from least—there is the gorgeous uniform of the
Instone commissionaire.
Owing to the recent disastrous fire at Evere aerodrome,
Brussels, in which most of the S.N.E.T.A. machines were
destroyed, the London-Brussels service has been suspended
temporarily. The Brussels-Paris and Brussels-Amsterdam
services are, however, being maintained with the help of
Messageries Aeriennes and the K.L.M. Playing as they do a
lone hand on the London-Brussels route, S.N.E.T.A. will not
be able to fly again until new machines are available.
A Problem in " Air Express " Housing
WHEN new air transport companies open up in the spring
there is certainly going to be competition for shed accommoda-
tion. Handley -Page Transport occupy one half of the big
shed, and the Instone Air Line the whole of the smaller shed.
The '" Goliaths " take up most of the second half of the big
shed and, as they are too large to go into the bessoneaux, it
may become somewhat of a problem where they shall be'
housed when—as will assuredly be the case—new British
companies require the space they now occupy. There is no
question of favouritism in this. The British companies,
making as they do Croydon their headquarters, must have a
well-lighted shed;'with a concrete floor, in which they can do
their overhauls. It would be practically impossible for them
to make do with any canvas hangars. As there is, I under-
stand, to be more than one new British company, this problem
-of shed accommodation becomes still more complicated.
. '••:'-'• ' . -' - -* Office London, of correspondence intended for inclusion in
Change in Posting Time . Moroccan air mail is now n p.m. on Saturdays, and
THE Postmaster-General announces that the time of tne Moroc printed papers) on Mondays,
departure from Toulouse of the air mail for Morocco has been t. p.m. [3 j y Fridavs
.^revised. The latest time of posting at the General Post Wednesday, and 1 ndays.
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